Robert Charles Benchley

Benchley, Robert Charles, 1889–1945, American humorist, b. Worcester, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1912. He was drama critic of Life (1920–29) and of the New Yorker (1929–40). Benchley was known for a series of short satirical films that he wrote, directed, and acted in himself. His books, which are rich in anecdotes and clever interpretations of everyday situations, include Of All Things (1921), My Ten Years in a Quandary (1936), and Benchley beside Himself (1943).